Amusement rides of the prior art include those wherein a boat or raft is moved along a watercourse by a flow of water Such boats or rafts may be free floating such as the raft of U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,943, or sliding such as the boat or toboggan of U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,783.
In amusement rides with such prior art water rafts the entire raft typically rotates when a peripheral member thereof contacts a wall of the channel defining the watercourse or an obstruction or guide member in or adjacent to the watercourse. Such rotation tends to avert excessive rubbing action between the interconnected rafts and wall portions, obstructions and other objects engaged by the rafts as they travel along the watercourse
It appears that there is a continuing demand for improved water rides that provide an interesting experience for riders and/or more controlled action of the rafts and/or more flexible or increased seating capacity. The present invention is aimed at fulfilling these and other needs.